Whenever I read about the magician sitting down and showing how expert he is at the card table, it invariably is at Poker. I have seen only one manuscript that dealt with the game of Bridge. I don’t know the exact reason for the amount of Poker tricks, but I do know that the following test of one’s skill (?) at Rhummy has been very well received whenever the chance has come for me to use it.

You explain that you will demonstrate how a rhummy player can win his game. Asking for a representative player from the assembled guests, you sit opposite to him, shuffle the deck, and, calling attention to the detail, have your partner give it a genuine cut, and deal the cards himself. The game is played in the regular way, a two-handed, seven card game, with all cards to be layed at once. Needless to say, you win.

The stunt is effective, even to well versed card players, because you don’t do anything tricky, and the cut, as well as dealing, is perfectly fair. Beforehand, take out four consecutive cards of the same suit, and three others of like value. Have a value to match this set of three, in the consecutive set. Stack these alternately, with indifferent cards, the seven important cards starting with fourth from the top of the deck. Note, and remember the top two cards as key cards. Now cut eight cards from the top to bottom. Shuffle the deck by dovetailing, but keep the top and bottom eight cards in place. Then let the other person genuinely cut the cards and deal. Thus the arrangement of sixteen cards is brought together in the deck, and each of you have your seven card hands. Each of you now draw in turn, you always drawing from the top of the deck, and not from the discard, and each time you discard your highest card. Eventually, you cannot help but draw one of the two key cards, and this tells you where you are. If it is the first, you know the next is the second, then a dummy, and then the first of the stack. Watch the play from here on, and draw from the deck or discard so that you get the first of the stack. From this point, you draw the rest of the stacked cards automatically, provided you do what your opponent does. If he draws from the deck, you do the same. If from the discard, you do likewise. I think, and also hope, you will find this a nice bit of knowledge to have ready.